One Question, Still Waiting
by Bumpkin
Summary: Dick and Tim talk on a rooftop  where else?  about an issue Tim is having. This is a mini-sequel to another fic I wrote a while back  not really needed to be read for understanding, but could be fun  - War Games: Act One Finale - Aftermath.


AN: Written for a mini NaNoWriMo project - leading line contributed by the lovely **pattrose**. This happens also to be a mini-sequel to another fic I wrote too (not really needed to be read for understanding, but could be fun) - War Games: Act One Finale - Aftermath. Unbeta-ed, so sing out if you see anything needing fixing.

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One Question, Still Waiting  
By Marns AKA Bumpkin  
Rated PG  
(Wordcount: 1,150)

"Would you please put us out of misery and go talk to him already?"

Tim was all done up in his 'Robin' gear and precariously perched on one of Gotham's many rooftops, and he didn't move, or otherwise react, to the words spoken into his ear. Except to slant a glare at the costumed form of his adopted brother out of the corner of his eye as the older man sank to his haunches beside him. Dick waited for Tim to say or do something, but Tim did neither. Finally Dick sighed and said, "Come on, Tim, you're giving Bruce a run for his money in the king of brood department lately. Why won't you just get it over with?"

Tim bared his teeth in a silent snarl - due to frustration or irritation, Dick didn't know which - but still he answered the question as best he was able. "Because it's _Bernard_, Dick, gossip-monger extraordinaire."

"O-kay, and that means what..?" Dick asked, still confused. It wasn't like they'd never had to deal with gossip-mongers before – in either persona – Dick didn't understand why Tim was making such a big deal out of talking to this Bernard kid.

Tim glowered into the empty air in front of them for a bit, but then deflated as he tried to clarify for his fellow crimefighter, "Look, I like the guy – don't get me wrong, he's a friend and can be a lot of fun – but he's curious. Too curious. He's always thinking, making note of things, no matter how insignificant they seem to be at any given time, and then letting it all stew together in his head until it adds up into something. More often than not he's right for the most part too. He can link and build the most accurate suppositions from the scantiest of information."

Dick still looked like he didn't get why Tim was reluctant to talk to Bernard and so Tim decided to give Dick an example of why he wasn't exactly keen, "To give you an idea of what I am talking about - this is the guy that overheard me and the Bat saying next to nothing to each other in the middle of a crisis and still somehow figured out between the little we said and the tone of our voices as we spoke that we knew each other."

"He what?" Dick asked, startled.

Tim snorted. "Yeah, I thought that might get your attention."

Dick just shook his head as he boggled at what Tim had told him. "That _is _something," Dick said in a semi-awed way, but then he continued with, "but kinda creepy too. Y'know what I mean?"

"Preaching to the choir, man, you don't have to convince me, I totally agree." Tim threw Dick a wry glance as he continued, "Anyway, another reason I don't want to talk to Bernard and 'get it over with' as you said is because he's nosy." Tim paused for a moment and looked like he was inwardly debating something. Dick thought it might be something to do with his word choice, but as Tim seemed to have mentally worked out whatever it was and began speaking again he didn't worry about it.

"You know what?" Tim said in a strained tone, "I don't think 'nosy' is _near_ strong enough to describe Bernard, let alone cover what he was like. The damned guy was always hounding me about stuff, no matter if it was meaningless or the personal kind you don't want to share, and thankfully I always managed to hold him off. But now I've messed that up. I told him I'd allow him one question if he helped me out after the mess at my school, and even worse, that I'd answer him honestly."

"Ooh, that's not good." Dick said reflexively.

"Yeah, no kidding." Tim said witheringly. He turned to face his brother, "God, Dick, there is no telling what he's going to ask. He's got carte blanche for prying and what's really worrying me is that there's no telling what he might glean from my promised answer. Nice guy and friend he might be - as much as any of us have friends outside the 'cape' set - but he's also a menace, at the very least to keeping our secrets our own."

Dick grimaced. "Alright, I guess I can understand why you've been doing a great job of stealing the crown of brood from Bruce then lately. This could get a mite messy."

"Ya think?" Tim's voice was dryer than the Sahara desert and Dick winced. As Tim once again turned to look out on the gloom enshrouded city Dick understood that perhaps he should have phrased that a bit better - now that he thought about it – which he probably should have done _before_ opening his mouth. Bad habit of his, that. He was about to try again, with something a bit more comforting and supportive this time around, when Tim spoke up instead, "Still, you're right, at least on one point. I have been pulling a 'Bruce' while attempting to avoid the inevitable meeting with Bernard. Guess that it hasn't made me the easiest person to be around lately, hunh?"

Thus giving Dick the perfect opening to echo Tim's sardonic "Ya think?" back to him with a grin.

Tim laughed and said, "I guess I deserved that."

"Eh," Dick waved off any negative vibes. "You were stressed, don't worry about it. Besides, now that you've told me why you've been acting the way you have been, I can totally understand why you were doing it."

"Oh thanks," Tim said wryly. "Your benevolence wows me."

Dick grinned at the flash of Tim's customary snarky humour returning. Then he wiped the grin off his face so that he could reply in his approximation of a sweeping and grandiose manner, "You are very welcome-" he paused a beat as he struck an absolutely ridiculous pose "–now bask in my greatness."

Tim wheezed as he held back laughter at Dick's antics and the older man grinned again. When Tim calmed down he offered, "Tell you what, I'll back off and let you deal with this in your own way and time and get the others to back off too. How's that sound?"

"Great." Tim said with a genuine smile, one that had more than a bit of relief in it. "Perfect even."

"Excellent! Glad to be of service, little bro." Dick said with a smile of his own. He stood up and got his grapple out, then turned back to Tim with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "Except, of course, that you are still going to have to deal with the Bernard issue at some point."

Tim scowled at him and Dick leapt off the building with a laugh before his adopted younger brother was anymore tempted to give him a hand.

-end-


End file.
